CHAPTER 13
COLT
T he hammering hit me before we even made it up the porch steps. A steady pound , pound , pound , like somebody was trying to dismantle the house from within.
I squeezed Ruby’s hand in mine and knocked against June’s door, but the racket inside drowned it out. I was about to do it again when Blaire’s voice rang out over the noise.
“It’s open!”
I pulled open the door and watched Ruby’s little nose scrunch up.
The stench of mildew and stale water was thick, like a damp basement that hadn’t been aired out in months, and the place was a mess.
There were blue tarps strung across the ceiling, boxes stacked up against the far wall, and a metal ladder rising from the living room floor straight up to a jagged hole overhead.
The whine of a power saw cut through the air from somewhere upstairs before it cut off with a pop, and there, standing in the middle of the chaos, was Blaire.
She darted from the kitchen sink back to the table, hair knotted on top of her head, dust streaked across one of her cheeks. A roll of paper towels was tucked under one arm, and she was muttering to herself when she finally looked up and saw us.
“Blaire!” Ruby squealed, ready to take off in her direction, but I caught her before she could.
“What the hell happened in here?” I asked as I scanned the room, trying to figure out what was going on.
“Shit,” Blaire cursed under her breath, dropping the paper towels on the table and blowing a loose strand of hair out of her face. “Did June not call you? She’s at your parents’.”
“June didn’t call.” I blinked, taking in the mess again, then met her eyes. “Did a tornado come through that I wasn’t aware of?”
“Ha ha.” Blaire moved into the living room, carefully stepping over things on the floor. “Apparently, we’ve had a slow water leak, which turned into a very big leak in the middle of the night last night.”
As if to prove her point, another thud landed, and the whole house seemed to shudder, a few puffs of pink insulation floating to the ground from the hole in the ceiling.
“Have you been up all night?” I look around the living room, noticing pillows and blankets strewn across the couch, two suitcases half closed on the floor, and an entire trash bag filled with wet towels near the doorway.
She wiped her hands down her shirt and gave an exhausted laugh. “I slept a little.”
“Is it safe?” I pushed Ruby behind me as I took a cautious step farther in and peered up at the blue tarp that appeared to be barely holding on.
“I unplugged everything. The contractors have been up there since around six. He said it’s not structural, whatever that means.” Her eyes flicked around the room before they landed on Ruby. “Sorry it’s a disaster. June really was supposed to call you.”
I eyed the ladder, the unsteady blue tarp overhead, and the dripping insulation visible through the gap in the ceiling.
The hammering started up again, echoing down the walls.
But Ruby was undeterred by the mess and ducked around my hip, making a beeline for Blaire.
She nearly tripped over a cord on the floor but caught herself, then flung her arms around Blaire’s legs.
“Ruby!” I called after her, but Blaire grinned as she bent, ruffling Ruby’s hair.
“Did you sleep here?” I asked as I nodded to the couch, and I was pretty sure one arm was damp. I tipped my chin to the ceiling above it, and sure enough, watermarks.
“For a few hours.” She gestured toward the ceiling without meeting my eyes.
“The leak started in my room, which is right above June’s.
” I already knew that. “Part of the ceiling gave way in the middle of the night, and water leaked straight through the floor. They said we’ve got multiple bad pipes, old and rusty, and need to be replaced.
June’s room caught the worst of it, I think. ”
“She’s at Mom and Dad’s now?” I was still taking stock of all the damage, but fuck, there was a lot.
“Yeah. Your mom came by this morning and practically dragged her out of here in her pajamas.” Blaire smiled, but she looked wrung out. “She’s going to stay there until we get this fixed.”
Ruby peeled herself off Blaire’s leg and started climbing onto the couch, or I guess I should say, Blaire’s bed. “This is fun!”
“This is not fun, Ruby.” I turned back to Blaire, but her eyes were anywhere but on me. “This isn’t safe.”
Blaire’s eyes darted up as the hammering started again. “It’s just water, Colt. They said it’s under control.” She moved to the couch and started tucking the sheets and pillows into a tighter pile as if that would somehow make things feel less dire.
“They may have this under control, but this is a lot.” I glanced up the stairwell before I started climbing them two at a time. “Ruby, stay with Blaire.”
“Colt! It’s fine!” Blaire yelled after me, but I wasn’t listening.
The stairs creaked under my weight, and I paused at the top, peering down the hall.
The hallway carpet was soaked to hell and back, darkening the walls where the water had trailed downward.
Every few steps, I had to maneuver around bits of soggy drywall or old insulation until I finally heard voices coming from Blaire’s room.
I stepped inside to find Cal and one of his men ripping out a huge chunk of wet drywall as they shined a flashlight behind it to get a better look.
Cal had lived in this town his whole life, and he’d probably worked on our property at least a hundred times.
He was a good man, and I trusted his work, but then he cursed under his breath and clenched his jaw.
I cleared my throat. “Morning, Cal.”
“Mornin’,” he grumbled and wiped some gunk from his hand onto his jeans.
He barely gave me a nod before slicing another strip of drywall and moving it aside. The stuff was soggy enough that it slumped over itself like wet bread, and the smell coming off the insulation behind it was, if possible, even worse than the living room.
“Any idea what caused it?” I leaned on the doorframe and folded my arms, watching as Cal’s assistant started pulling out sodden insulation by the handful.
Cal shook his head at the mess before cutting his gaze back at me.
“They built this house before the good stuff. Galvanized pipes, old as hell. I think she’s had a slow leak for months at least, but one of these pinholes finally gave out and pushed it over.
” He jabbed a thumb at the cavity in the wall.
“Water’s everywhere. We’ll have to clear most of this out, rip up the carpet, and half of these walls before we can even replace the pipes. ”
“How long?” I asked, trying to keep the edge out of my voice.
Cal ran a hand over his jaw, eyes not leaving the mess in front of him. “Weeks, maybe more. I can patch her up livable, but we’re looking at a full re-pipe and a lot of drywall. If it rotted the subfloor through—” His eyes widened.
I tried not to imagine what else could go wrong, but my mind cycled through all of it anyway. Mold, the framing, the floors. June could barely handle her farm, let alone all of this.
“All right,” I said, forcing a steadiness I didn’t feel. “Let me know if you need anything.”
Cal grunted, already lost in the next section of wall, and I backed down the hallway carefully before heading back downstairs.
From the bottom of the stairs, I caught Blaire pacing in the kitchen, her thumb tapping rapidly across her phone screen, while Ruby talked her ear off from where Blaire had perched her on the counter.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Blaire muttered, her shoulders slumping as she stared at her phone.
Ruby leaned forward on the counter, nearly toppling over. “Is it bad news?”
“Every hotel within twenty miles is full. Even the two Airbnbs on the lake are booked.” Blaire’s thumb scrolled frantically. “Damn tourists. Can’t they go see something besides our mountains for once?”
“Yeah.” Ruby folded her arms and furrowed her brow in a perfect imitation of Blaire’s frustrated expression. “Damn tourists.”
Blaire’s head snapped up, and she stepped toward Ruby. “Oh my god, Ruby. Don’t say that.”
“But you said it,” Ruby pointed out as she shifted and sat cross-legged on the counter.
“I know.” Blaire winced. “That doesn’t make it okay. Your dad would kill us.”
“Kill you for what?” I asked, stepping away from the staircase and toward the kitchen.
“Damn tourists!” Ruby announced with so much frustration in her voice that a laugh escaped me.
Blaire, however, pressed her fingers against her temples and closed her eyes. If she didn’t look so exhausted, I would have kept laughing.
“Hey, baby girl. Maybe dang is the word we’re looking for.” I smiled at Blaire and allowed myself to watch her for longer than I should have. “Damn isn’t a very kind word.”
“I’m sorry. Ruby was copying me, and all the hotels are booked up?—”
“Because of the damn tourists?” I cut her off.
“Yes, because of the tourists.” Her gaze flicked to Ruby. “And I was frustrated.”
“Did you try the bed-and-breakfast off Myrtle?” I tried to think of any others that may not have been on whatever website she was scrolling.
“Yes. I called there first,” she said, straightening her shoulders as if she were bracing herself. “I can run down to the hardware store and get some more tarps to block off the living room and kitchen. Cal said?—”
“Cal said that this is going to take weeks to fix, and that’s only if the subfloor isn’t damaged,” I cut in, and she winced. “Blaire, you can’t live in this.”
Blaire drew herself up taller, but I could see her chin trembling a little. “I’m fine. I’ve slept on that couch dozens of times growing up.”
“That’s not the point.” I set my jaw. “There is water everywhere, probably mold. Who knows when Cal will get the water turned back on. You’re not living in a house without water.”
“I’m fine.”
If she said that one more time, I was going to lose my shit. “You’ll come stay with me and Ruby at our house on the ranch until the repairs are done. You’re not sleeping under a goddamn tarp with toilets that won’t flush.”
She stared at me, her mouth falling open, eyes wide with shock. My heart hammered against my ribs as the weight of what I’d done crashed over me. I hadn’t planned to say it until the words were already out.
Neither of us spoke as the hammering continued upstairs, but then Ruby let out a squeal so loud I winced.
“Can she really?” she shrieked, twisting on the counter and nearly sending herself flying. “Can she stay in my room? Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes!” The words tumbled out, and she jumped down from the counter before Blaire or I could answer.
“No. I couldn’t.” Blaire shook her head, but Ruby wasn’t listening.
“Blaire, pleeeeeease,” Ruby begged, arms wrapped around Blaire’s hips as she stared up at her. “We can paint our nails and do sleepovers and watch movies, and I’ll even let you use my special blanket and sleep in my bed!”
“Ruby.” Blaire said her name gently as she shot me a helpless look. “I swear I’m okay here.”
“We have a spare room,” I said before I could stop myself. “And I’m rarely there during the day. Once Ruby and I leave for school, I’m out on the ranch until the evening. You won’t even have to see me.”
Blaire snorted, the sound so familiar it hit somewhere below my ribs. “Is that supposed to make it more tempting?”
I shrugged. “You can come stay with us, or I’ll call my mom and she’ll force you to come stay with them. Would you rather have a bed to yourself or share a bed with June in my old room?”
I let the threat dangle in the air because we both knew how badly June snored. Plus, I was sure Blaire hated the idea of my mom fussing over her for the next few weeks.
She squinted at me, jaw tense. “So, those are my options? Sleep in this mess, deal with June’s snoring, or Calloway charity?”
“It’s not charity,” I shot back, palming the edge of the counter to keep from saying something I’d regret. “And you only have two of those options. I’ll drag your ass out of this house over my shoulder before I let you stay here.”
Blaire’s eyes narrowed, and I could see the argument building inside her, could practically taste the way she was about to tell me to go to hell. So I used the only thing I had to use against her.
“Besides, Ruby’s already got her hopes up. You don’t want to let her down, do you?”
Blaire glanced at Ruby, who was holding her breath with her hands balled up in front of her chest like she could will Blaire to say yes. I watched the fight play out on Blaire’s face, the old stubbornness going toe to toe with something softer, something tired.
But in the end, it was Ruby that won out.
Blaire’s shoulders sagged a fraction, and she huffed, her eyes darting from the battered ceiling to Ruby and finally, grudgingly, to me. “Fine,” she muttered, and I could tell it nearly killed her to say it. “But only until the water’s back on.”
Ruby let out a whoop and started doing a little victory dance in a circle around Blaire. I couldn’t help but grin, even as I tried to figure out what the hell I’d done.